The standardization of an image coding scheme called High Efficiency Video Coding (HEVC) by Joint Collaboration Team-Video Coding (JCTVC), which is a joint standardization organization of ITU-T and ISO/IEC, is currently under way for the purpose of improving encoding efficiency more than H. 264/AVC (see, for example, Non-Patent Literature 1 below).
HEVC provides not only coding of a single layer but also scalable video coding, as in known image coding schemes such as MPEG2 and Advanced Video Coding (AVC) (for example, see Non-Patent Literature 2 below). An HEVC scalable video coding technology is also called Scalable HEVC (SHVC). In SHVC, while an enhancement layer is encoded in the HEVC scheme, a base layer may be encoded in the HEVC scheme or encoded in an image coding scheme other than the HEVC scheme (for example, the AVC scheme).
Generally, scalable video coding refers to a technology for hierarchically encoding a layer transmitting a rough image signal and a layer transmitting a fine image signal. Typical attributes hierarchized in the scalable video coding mainly include the following three:                Space scalability: Spatial resolutions or image sizes are hierarchized.        Time scalability: Frame rates are hierarchized.        Signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) scalability: SN ratios are hierarchized.        
Further, though not yet adopted in the standard, the bit depth scalability and chroma format scalability are also discussed.
In the scalable video coding, coding efficiency can be improved by encoding a parameter, which can be re-used in layers, in only one layer (for example, see Non-Patent Literature 3).